EQ1 and 2 inspired buildings - Landmark

[Pyrion]

What people build in the landmark alpha that looks a bit like previous eq iterations:

https://forums.station.sony.com/eqnlandmark/index.php?threads/landmark-live-episode-7-submit-your-eq-eqii-builds.24528/

Examples:
http://i58.tinypic.com/156xvva.jpg

http://threethirteen.net/EQLandmark/NeriakEnt.png

http://i.imgur.com/UHKE1iH.jpg

http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj21/QuanaPeacekeeper/screenshot_20140318-20-06-14_zps47d810f8.png

[Nuggie]

The spectre looks awesome.

[Swish]

Yeah love the spectre :D

[Ahldagor]

i'm stumped on what the second one down is

[Erati]

i'm stumped on what the second one down is

entrance to Mistmoore castle.

Thats Mayongs logo

[Ahldagor]

entrance to Mistmoore castle.

Thats Mayongs logo

ah. never noticed he had a banner logo. guess the lack of a bridge was throwing me off

[nilzark]

So .... Landmark = EverCraft/MineQuest? Anybody actually excited about that?

[Uteunayr]

So .... Landmark = EverCraft/MineQuest? Anybody actually excited about that?

Copy/pasting from a recent post on reddit. I know this isn't exactly what you were getting at, but I have found that even among P1999 players, there is a lot of confusion about EQNL vs EQN, and what EQN is, so:

EQN v Landmark

The difference here has not been terribly well articulated by SoE themselves, but what we know is this:

Landmark is the world builder. It will serve the purpose to EQ Next what the Starcraft Campaign Editor served to Starcraft, or a SDK serves to Team Fortress 2. It is a world building tool, that they are making to feel like and play similar to Minecraft, but with much greater detail. Once Landmark, as a tool, is complete, they will release it Free To Play for all people to play Landmark, and build stuff.

Then, they will use Landmark to sculpt a world map, and build Norrath. Once Norrath is built, they will work on the MMO design, classes, and the like. This will be released as a second game, EQ Next. This is a non-quest themepark based horizontal progression MMORPG that emphasizes emergent experiences, rather than scripted ones. Using the voxel based world that they build with EQN Landmark, they will have a destructible world, with AI programmed with sets of likes and dislikes that will guide their behavior around a world that is being constantly changed.

During development of Norrath, on their end, with the fully functional Landmark out, they will put up the ability for people to create themed structures for EverQuest Next. For example, they may say "We need an Unrest. So we need an underground ruined dungeon.", and so players can struggle and build. Whoever gets the most votes, for example, will get their content put into the main game, getting credited, so that their creation was a part of the game.

Landmark will serve a further purpose by allowing players to build house templates in Landmark, and then copy them into EverQuest Next to place on their "Claim". Much like how in Star Wars Galaxies, you had 10 lots, and you could build your house on the world, this is very much the same, except that you can control what the house looks like. You will have to pay maintenance to keep the claims going (just like in SWG) to try and make sure the game doesn't become too much of a graveyard, with an exponentially increasing claim cost for every additional claim you make. In EQN, you will be able to place multiple claims adjacent to one another so that you can have a Guild Village for example, in which each person shares their claim, and you all collectively build a cool fortress.

The idea is to allow players to create content on the ever changing world, so that every time you adventure outside of the main player city in EQN (Qeynos at the start, will expand in the game), you will see new destruction caused by player fights, new AI bases built through their dynamic exploration of the world (the NPCs do not static spawn, instead they wander and cluster based on likes and dislikes to form encounters at areas with the most gravity toward their likes), new houses built by players, and so on. In this way, every time you go into the world, it is changed.

The only focused quests will be the Rallying Calls, which are 2-3 month long collective non-directed quests in which players have generalized goals to push a collective job. These will alter the game world, such as building the city of Halas. When an unknown property has been reached (number of goblins killed, wall strength achieved, people in the area, etc), the call will advance, and progress a server-wide story. This will allow the developers in the game to have an active role in progressing a story, and evolving the barren world that is Norrath at this point in the lore (for those fellow EQ nerds, this is post-Combine Empire collapse, so most of the land is completely barren).

But, you as a player are in no way forced to be a part of it. You can go off and do your own thing if you wish, and that is more than fine. The purpose is that if you want to be a part of it, you can. And once you do the Rallying Call to build Halas, you've been a part of that, and Halas is now a city on the world. You build a part of the game world. This would be like building Orgrimmar. This lets you say "Oh Halas, I helped build that!" to new players much more down the line, giving you a history with the game world itself.

So, it is a constantly changing and evolving, living and breathing world for players to engage in.

That's the best summary I can provide for EQN and EQN Landmark. The remarkable thing to me is that all of this is insanely possible. Nothing here is that crazy. It is new, it is innovative, it is interesting, but it's all within the realm of possibility. That's genius.

I'd like to believe SoE, once the kings of the MMO scene, saw their failure in EQ and SWG in how they were exploiting their player base when WoW destroyed them, that they realized they fucked up. With Smedley apologizing, and all that, I really think SoE got smacked into place, and are looking for other styles of MMO design to make players have a more active role in shaping the game, because as Valve likes to note, you can't out-produce your consumer. Give them the best tools to make their own content, give them a base product, and let the consumer, the active fan, let them make the game into what you couldn't even hope to do.

I like to believe this is what SoE has learned. They are not going as far as Valve does... But... Just maybe this is a good first step.

On EQN Classes

Classes work in an odd way, more like the original Final Fantasies, or a bit like SWG. So, how it basically happens is that 3 things determine your "progression", that being Your Class, Your Gear, and Your Abilities. I'll go through each in turn.

There will be a number of starting classes (I believe 8) with upwards of 40 total. You will find these in the world by exploring, being engaged in quests, or doing faction based random encounter quests that you locate in the world (sort of like the Old Man Jedi Quest, how it was meant to happen randomly when you met an unknown criteria). You unlock these classes, and you can swap between them. Now, classes determine something similar to base stats, such as your Stat Migration in SWG. They determine your mana, your HP, and the like. Classes may also (I believe, this might be something I picked up from hearsay) shape the efficacy of different abilities. Classes will shape the types weaponry you can use.

Now, on top of your class, you have gear. Gear also shapes your base stats, enhancing them. Your gear doesn't have to match your Class, but can instead be used to pick up the slack of your class.

Lastly, your abilities are found through random encounters in the world (such as when a bunch of Orc AI cluster together and build a fort, a chest will appear with them). You create a set of 7-8 of these (sort of like TSW/Guild Wars 2). These are not necessarily limited to class.

So, as an example of how these intermingle. You are a Rogue class. You and a few friends go out and break apart an Orc Encampment. You find the Ability Tome: Teleport. Everyone rolls for it, you win it. Now, you're a Rogue with Rogue Gear, so you have 50 mana. But Teleport costs 100 mana to use. You can put Teleport on your bar, but you can't even cast it. So you need to either, 1) Change your gear to be less Agility/Strength oriented as a rogue, and put on more Spellcaster gear, so you force your mana up, making you a Wizard Geared Rogue with Teleport, or 2) You change your Class to Wizard, and you keep your Rogue gear on, making you a Rogue geared Wizard with Teleport. The idea being that you can intermingle these, and change them as you get more gear, more abilities, and more classes.

You get these abilities and the like through the dynamic AI clustering that occurs based on AI acting for Likes and Dislikes, creating randomly generated non-scripted encounters. So, you are not questing, you are not grinding monsters, you're adventuring. You see an orc encampment has popped up to the north, you get your friends together, and you wipe out the encampment. Some orcs survive and run off to a new place to set up a new camp, and so on. It isn't like having a set Orc Camp in that area always. And when the AI built camp is destroyed, you get a chest, and you get abilities, and so on. You progress through adventure, rather than questing.

[Lune]

So .... Landmark = EverCraft/MineQuest? Anybody actually excited about that?

Marginally. Will presumably need to be playable with a controller, so unless they are abnormally conscientious, expect that to soak into the PC version in some form like it did with ESO. It's looking like it might be spammy, arcade-style combat. (Combat will appear in Landmark supposedly) They implemented a cash shop into Landmark before they implemented water. Smedbucks (station cash) model which will likely ride as closely as possible to paywalls while still being technically pay2notgrind.

Even so, digging is fun so far and I think it has a lot of potential as an autism playpen.

[Ahldagor]

And when the AI built camp is destroyed, you get a chest, and you get abilities, and so on. You progress through adventure, rather than questing.

now that don't sound half bad there

[LulzSect]

http://i.imgur.com/UHKE1iH.jpg

[Uteunayr]

now that don't sound half bad there

Mhm. It's the biggest reason why I am giving a shit about it. They are recommending a game's progression not based on shitting out and expending quests, but by adventuring, to try and get people to engage in the changing world, than consuming scripted content.

[Glenzig]

"Landmark is the world builder. It will serve the purpose to EQ Next what the Starcraft Campaign Editor served to Starcraft, or a SDK serves to Team Fortress 2. It is a world building tool, that they are making to feel like and play similar to Minecraft, but with much greater detail. Once Landmark, as a tool, is complete, they will release it Free To Play for all people to play Landmark, and build stuff.

Then, they will use Landmark to sculpt a world map, and build Norrath. Once Norrath is built, they will work on the MMO design, classes, and the like. This will be released as a second game, EQ Next. This is a non-quest themepark based horizontal progression MMORPG that emphasizes emergent experiences, rather than scripted ones. Using the voxel based world that they build with EQN Landmark, they will have a destructible world, with AI programmed with sets of likes and dislikes that will guide their behavior around a world that is being constantly changed.

During development of Norrath, on their end, with the fully functional Landmark out, they will put up the ability for people to create themed structures for EverQuest Next. For example, they may say "We need an Unrest. So we need an underground ruined dungeon.", and so players can struggle and build. Whoever gets the most votes, for example, will get their content put into the main game, getting credited, so that their creation was a part of the game."

So they are getting people to design the game for them. And here I thought SOE had no vision! Why are people falling for this?

[Uteunayr]

"Landmark is the world builder. It will serve the purpose to EQ Next what the Starcraft Campaign Editor served to Starcraft, or a SDK serves to Team Fortress 2. It is a world building tool, that they are making to feel like and play similar to Minecraft, but with much greater detail. Once Landmark, as a tool, is complete, they will release it Free To Play for all people to play Landmark, and build stuff.

Then, they will use Landmark to sculpt a world map, and build Norrath. Once Norrath is built, they will work on the MMO design, classes, and the like. This will be released as a second game, EQ Next. This is a non-quest themepark based horizontal progression MMORPG that emphasizes emergent experiences, rather than scripted ones. Using the voxel based world that they build with EQN Landmark, they will have a destructible world, with AI programmed with sets of likes and dislikes that will guide their behavior around a world that is being constantly changed.

During development of Norrath, on their end, with the fully functional Landmark out, they will put up the ability for people to create themed structures for EverQuest Next. For example, they may say "We need an Unrest. So we need an underground ruined dungeon.", and so players can struggle and build. Whoever gets the most votes, for example, will get their content put into the main game, getting credited, so that their creation was a part of the game."

So they are getting people to design the game for them. And here I thought SOE had no vision! Why are people falling for this?

By this same logic, Valve has been getting people to design Team Fortress 2 for them. Blizzard has been getting people to design StarCraft for them. Bethesda has been getting people to design The Elder Scrolls series for them. Letting your player base be involved in the development and growth of the game is not immediately the same as getting other people to design the game for them, in the connotations you're implying.

Player interaction with a game players find interesting is not exploiting, nor is it shrugging off the responsibility of development. It is a way to build hype, and it is a way of including your fan base in your game in much the same way that many games now evolve based on player interaction. SoE has to do this to build a sense of good will with their player base after the shit they have done to us in the past.

If SoE is going to turn around their image, they need to start by trying to include their player base. Players are not going to create the mechanics, they are not going to create the factions, the classes, the gameplay, none of that. They are being let into helping to shape small, isolated aspects of the game world, so they can feel more involved and attached to the game in a way only a small indie developer could provide in the past.

It is incredibly smart, and SoE would be damn near idiotic to not do this given their reputation.

[Arclyte]

too bad EQN is going to be pure shit, landmark seems kind of neat

[BigHurb]

second down looks more like entrance to black burrow

also... lol more games on flat monitors

[Pyrion]

EQN will have 40 classes and you don't need more than one character because your character can be all 40 classes at once, basically making your own class out of those abilities. 4 of your active abilities (weapon abilities) will be from your current class, while another 4 abilities (support) you combine from all your other classes. So you can be warrior with some cleric support abilities in one fight and ranger with some wizard porting in the next fight (if you unlocked those classes). For each class there is a horizontal progression and you have to decide which classes you want to spend your xp on.

That's what i understood in a nutshell. I will give it a chance once it's out.

[Swish]

EQN will have 40 classes and you don't need more than one character because your character can be all 40 classes at once, basically making your own class out of those abilities.

http://media.giphy.com/media/T6QOv7Vw24IU0/giphy.gif

https://i.chzbgr.com/maxW500/1667656448/h343E63CD/

[Pyrion]

Lol! Yea i am sceptical as well how this will feel. We will see.

[Grimfan]

The idea is that you'll basically create your own class playing the style you want to play. They've even talked about letting you re-name the class to whatever you want. The idea behind it is that you'll pick a class that has the right slots of damage/defense/support/movement abilities and then slot in the abilities that you like in there. Then, with that class, comes two different distinct weapon choices with different move-sets and animations that go along with that class.

Here's a tidbit from an article to give you an explanation of two distinct weapon types:




Cleric: Wields either a two-handed hammer or a hammer and shield. Buffing and protecting allies is the typical clerical duty, but these magic men and women do it with the power of fire, which gives them some killing power too.

Necromancer: Wielding a tome or a dagger and focus object, the necromancer summons destructive chaotic energies and comes with a companion: a Monstrosity that grows in power with its master.

Beast Lord: If you're a fan of 'trampling' and 'savaging', the Beast Lord's furry friends make excellent companions. You can do your own savaging too, with a flail and shield combination, or a spear for medium range attacks.

Tempest: With two blades, or one two-handed blade, the Tempest dances across the battle field and unleashes power of winds and blasts of lightning. Out to appeal to fans of action RPGs.


What they've described is a system where there are several classes that fill the same niche with different skill-sets. So you might have a ranger that uses a bow and double blades that has two movement abilities and two damaging abilities available to slot, on the other end you might have an archer that uses a long bow and a sword and shield as its two weapons, and it might have two damage abilities, a support slot, and a defensive slot.

Their description is that you might have a rogue type that does great damage normally but seems to get OHKO'ed by mage types. So, you look through your abilities and you notice one from one of your defensive classes that lets you take 80% less magic damage, you slot that in and you can create a new class called a Magebane or whatever you like and now you're good against mages. The idea is that there is flexibility to the class system and they really want you to be able to design and create every element of the game for yourself.

[Leeyuuduu]

If SOE wants to change its image it needs to stop completely shitting over its most loyal players (EQOA, EQMac, Vanguard, etc.) and treating them as expendable. And no, shutting down servers is not inevitable, Turbine is stopping support for AC but letting the servers live on indefinitely with no monthly fee for current subscribers. It also needs to tone down its extreme RMT whoreishness (is that a word?) as seen in EQ Live & EQ 2 in particular. They basically destroyed EQ2 and the game is now one huge walking advertisement for RMT items, it doesn't matter if you have the $15/month subscription or not, you will be inundated with that shit. PS2 though was a decent attempt at a F2P game without overbearing RMT.

I will wait and see how SOE chooses to monetize this next monster of theirs before diving in. I'm happy to pay $15-20 a month for a decent game on top of the box price or even a subtler system like PS2's but I absolutely won't tolerate another SOE in-game advertising shitfest, where every Producer's Letter or Update is solely focused on trying to peddle us old crap in new clothes.

[nilbog]

I'm happy to pay $15-20 a month for a decent game on top of the box price

This is what I've been saying for years. I'd pay a high retail price, and probably up to $40 a month for something worth playing.

[Weekapaug]

The only single major design decision SoE ever made that I hated was the RMT cash store.

Was back playing live in the fall and, while its cool to be able to buy basic services that used to require wait times and GMs directly from the server, the other stuff sucks. They have these armor skin items dropping off of mobs now that you can only use if you pay like 12 bucks. And that's per character not account. Then there are the massive bags that can pretty much only be gotten from the cash store. If you've played recently you will have noticed that mercs are pretty important. Having more than one merc slot makes a huge difference... only way to get them is on the cash store. It's pretty obnoxious.

And that's the only thing that worries me in EQN. What we've seen of the game looks great, imo. And if they pull off even half of what they are saying it should be really cool. But SOE seems bound to this cash store heavy business model and it, to me, really cheapens the mmo experience and I'm concerned about that in EQN.

Im with the guys above....charge us 40 or 50 bucks for the game and charge a monthly subscrption fee and give us a good game. I really hate how every game has gone to this "free to play but nickel and dime you to death" business model yet the games get weaker.

[Pyrion]

An example for a good f2p model is path of exile btw. In the cash shop you can get a larger stash (not needed but nice) and a lot of cosmetic effects. There is not one combat enhancing feature that you can buy. And still they make a lot of money, people appreciate what they are doing.

[myriverse]

entrance to Mistmoore castle.

Thats Mayongs logo
Looks like Neriak to me.

That symbol is the Neriak symbol.

[Uteunayr]

Looks like Neriak to me.

That symbol is the Neriak symbol.

Yeah, that's what Neriak looks like on Live from the outside, as they did a re-creation of Nektulos Forest.


http://threethirteen.net/EQLandmark/NeriakEnt.png
http://everquest.allakhazam.com/scenery/nektulos3-neriak.jpg

[BigHurb]

$40 a month sub? just kill the future generations in your ballsac now

[Uteunayr]

I'd pay $40 a month if it meant a well designed MMO with none of this microtransaction shit being jammed down my throat. Just take the $40 a month, and call it even.

[BigHurb]

no, we are billions of years of evolution and/or divine creation

i will not pay that amount for a sub!!! god damn it all to hell

http://images.blu-ray.com/reviews/710_5_large.jpg

[ymw]

Landmark Closed Beta Has Arrived
As a thank you for attending SOE Live last year and for your continued support, we are gifting you a Settler Pack key. Please consume the key below or gift it to a friend and help us shape this new world. When this Settler Pack key is consumed, you or your friend will be granted unrestricted access to Closed Beta plus receive additional items such as a Settler Flag and Founder’s Pickaxe.
****-****-****-****-****
Gift keys can be redeemed in the Beta Key field located at the top right of the website: www.eqnlandmark.com. See below for information on how to download the client and begin playing.

I''d rather cut my dick off with a rusty spoon than play this trash, but others seem to really enjoy this sort of crap.

Anyone that would truly like to check this beta out want the key? PM me, but only if you (or your kids!) actually intend to make use of it.

[stormlord]

Reads as interesting. But Avast is saying there're malicious urls on the first page.

[Leeyuuduu]

^I got the same warning. Detected some bad stuff with NeriakEnt.jpg (well what do you know, it's Neriak)

[ymw]

Kinda funny - I have the Avast plugin shut off, but being skeptical of the email as I am, I checked out the target webpage and verified it against the EQN Landmark page coming from SOE.com. It's legit, though it sounds like SOE is the same old pinnacle of quality control.

Also noticing from the lack of interest in this that I'm not the only one that thinks this game looks awful.

[ymw]

Key gone!